A note from Alex:

ENJOY!

How it started.

The Idea came from Steve Brown, a long-time friend of mine from our Air Force days in Germany. “How do you fancy a bit of an adventure’’ he says. Well, that got my attention. The adventure was “India’s Lost World” and consisted of a 14 day 1900km ride through the 7 states of North East India onboard the Royal Enfield Himalayan with a company called Nomadic Knights. The trip started in March, so flights, jabs, visas, travel insurance, International driving permit, hotels etc. – all had to be sorted pretty quick. I’m one of those retired people and I had plenty of time to chase round after everything. Nomadic Knights supply the bike, fuel, accommodation, food, mechanics, back up trucks, and a medical support, all included in the price. All I had to do was get myself and my biking gear there. They also supply an Information Pack with all relevant info needed to help you prepare for the ride.

The packing was an interesting task. Helmet, boots, riding suit, body armour, plus normal clothes, and keeping within the 20kg airline limit and getting it into the bags I already had. Let’s just say it took quite a few trial packs to get it just right.

In the meantime another friend from the same Germany days had heard about the trip and that’s how Mick Brelsford found himself a place with us. With flights from different places in the UK it was decided that we would meet in Delhi for our onward flight to Guwahati, so on March 15th I flew out of Glasgow bound for India.

We arrived in Delhi from the UK at different times and then had a bit of a layover before our onward flight to Guwahati.

DAY 1: ARRIVE AT BRAHMAPUTRA JUNGLE RESORT

We basically got all our stuff sorted out. All documentation required for the journey was taken onboard by Alex’s wife Vidhya. She’s Indian and would be dealing with all officials at border checkpoints. One thing we Brits left behind in India is Bureaucracy – doing a trip like this without a fixer or speaking the language would be nearly impossible. We got to choose our bike for the trip and got it set up to suit.

My bike had 68Kms on the clock and with the soft panniers and tank bag fitted had enough room to carry the essentials. The rest of my gear would go in the support truck and would be available at our stop point each night.

Due to a problem at Delhi with the ATM’s we couldn’t get any Rupee’s, so a trip into Guwahati to an ATM was sorted by Alex and off the 3 of us went in another Taxi. Cashed up, we then did a bit of sightseeing courtesy of our taxi driver who was really chuffed that he was showing 3 Brits around his home turf, much to the envy of his fellow drivers. At the end of the taxi tour (which lasted about 2 hours) he dropped us off. The fare was 1200 rupees (£12) for the 3 of us, but he was over the moon when we each gave him that amount.

DAY 2: TEPESIA-TEZPUR

166km (Assam)

After breakfast, Alex called us all together and went through everything that we needed to know. We were then issued with our guidebook for the trip which covered every day’s riding with route, maps, distance, hotel, and useful tips and background information about the area. Alex was leading with his wife Vidhya as pillion, and ABU bringing up the rear, 14 bikes riding as a group – what could possibly go wrong?

This would be our first on the road day and would take us from Guwahati (Assam) to Tezpur (Assam), a distance of 166Kms on mainly tarmac roads. I say mainly tarmac because the pot holes were so big you could lose a Tuk Tuk in them. And without warning, the tarmac would just stop and suddenly become a dirt road, complete with pot holes of equal size. This seemed to be the norm throughout the tour. Random pieces of tarmac would appear only to disappear again back into dirt. Which left you wondering why that piece of tarmac had been laid in that particular place.

Riding conditions were hot and dusty and traffic was a bit manic for the first day. But Alex’s advice to expect the unexpected and ride accordingly stood us in good stead.

DAY 3: TEZPUR-BOMDILA

155km (Arunachal Pradesh)

We were up early for breakfast and at 08.00, we set off on our days riding, but not before we refuelled. Another spectacle that drew the crowds was border checkpoints. 14 bikes in a line. Again, we had lots of requests for photographs.

When we finally got going again the roads were a mix of tarmac and dirt with lots of pot holes, cows, and monkeys. Tata trucks and buses were belching out black exhaust fumes everywhere. Tuk-Tuks and every cobbled-together kind of cart you could think of were all trying to get from A to B. Utter chaos. Utterly thrilling.

Indian drivers have a strange use for their indicators. When you come up behind a vehicle the driver will indicate right, so you back off expecting him to turn. But when you back off, he puts the indicator off. So, you move to overtake again and on it comes again. Apparently this is the sign for you to overtake. But, it can also mean ‘I’m turning right’. So again, we had to expect the unexpected.

DAY 4: BOMDILA-TEZPUR

210km (Assam)

Due to the roadworks we would have to get going early or else risk being stuck waiting for the road to open again. We managed a quick clockwise walk around the grounds of the Buddhist temple and answered many questions by the inhabitants before we set off. The views that greeted us going down were spectacular and scary at the same time. The road had no barrier along its edge and the drop off in some places was sheer. We had ridden that same road the previous night in the dark.

Time was against us and we had to make progress. This allowed us to test the wee Himalayan’s ability to deliver the goods which it did with no issues at all. The road in some places was a single track with no traffic control. So when trucks coming from the opposite direction just keep coming in convoy, we had to take to the rough stuff at the side of the road. This certainly was interesting but no problem for this bike. I don’t think any of the riders had a bad word to say about it.

Day 4 ended back at the hotel we had left the day before and lots of discussions about the road we rode in the dark.

DAY 5: TEZPUR-DIMAPUR

220km (Nagaland)

Normal start time for this leg of the journey and again like every day, it started with a brief from Alex on what to expect. And a check to see if everyone had the guidebook with them, and to know, where they were going, how far it was, and what hotel we were stopping at that night. He continued on to tell us about The Naga people., Nagaland wanted Independence from India and a long fought campaign had been going for many years. This was one of the reasons why this part of India had been so difficult to get to. And even now, the Indian Army would not venture into certain areas.

A no man’s land existed on the road we were going to ride and the brief was ‘Stop for nothing’. When we got to that point, we were to keep in a close group and just keep going until Alex stopped. Seeing Indian troops on foot patrol and jeeps with GPMG’s mounted and manned did bring home the fact that things could happen here.

Fortunately nothing happened and our day continued through a flat countryside of what looked like paddy fields with brick furnaces every mile or so. What I thought was paddy fields turned out to be clay pits for making bricks.

DAY 6 DIMAPUR-KOHIMA

80 km (Nagaland)

A deliberately planned short leg today would allow us to arrive at the hotel early. We wanted to spend some time at the site of one of the battles fought in this region against the Japanese during WW2. ‘The Battle of the Tennis Court’. It’s well documented online, but actually standing there and imagining Japanese soldiers fighting with Indian and British soldiers gave me goosebumps. Mick was quite emotional. And it wasn’t until we looked at the gravestone he was standing beside that we realised it was his Grandfathers. This was one of the main reasons that Mick had joined the trip at short notice, but hadn’t mentioned it until this time. Heavy stuff which needed a beer or three afterwards.

DAY 7: KOHIMA-IMPHAL

140km (Manipur)

Each time we crossed into a different state, it was like travelling into a different country. I mentioned earlier that one of the things the Brits had left behind was bureaucracy. As we crossed into a new state, every bit of paperwork was scrutinised and sometimes rejected with little reason given. Without Alex’s wife Vidhya on the case, I think getting through these border posts would have been a nightmare.

Today we came across some of the worst roads so far. Dust and ruts were the order of the day. In some places, I estimated the visibility down to 3 metres and falling into some of the ruts had the foot-pegs digging in. On top of that, 4×4’s, which were constantly up your backside and blowing their horns “to let you know they were there”. There was no way they could see to overtake, until I witnessed one do just that. Expect the unexpected. By the time we reached our hotel that evening we were physically and mentally exhausted as it had been the most demanding day so far. Then to find that the hotel had a power cut was just taking the piss. The hot water from the tap was tepid. So, a bucket and jug cleared the road grime and the first beer cleared the dust from my throat. The next 3 or 4 eased all the aches and pains.

DAY 8: IMPHAL-SILCHAR

266km (Assam)

Alex wanted us to get an early start today as we had a long way to go. He advised us that this road was a complete mess the last time he rode it. So, be prepared for a long day in the saddle.

Once out of the town, we joined a piece of pristine tarmac and to be honest, we were quite pleased to have a bit of a break from the dust and pot holes. We were expecting it to revert to the normal road type but it just kept going and going. It was glorious riding.

As we had an early start, Alex pulled off for our first Chai stop and found out to his surprise that the road was like this all the way to Silchar. It looked like an easier day ahead. Chai drunk, we headed back onto the smooth blacktop but were immediately aware of the effect pristine tarmac has on Indian drivers when coming towards us. There were 2 trucks side by side with a 4×4 overtaking both of them. This is where use of the horn has no effect and taking to the rough stuff at the side of the road is the only option. This was not an isolated incident and a few close calls were experienced thoughout the day. It’s all part of the adventure I suppose.

DAY 9: SILCHAR-AIZAWL

172km (Mizoram)

The end of today’s ride would be a rest day and we were all ready for it. The ride to Aizawl was uneventful until we got to the outskirts of the city which is perched on a hill. The road had degraded back to what we had come to expect but the amount of scooters had increased 10 fold. And they all seemed to be going in the same direction as we were and trying to find the best way between the holes in the road. It would be easier to say there were more holes than road.

The road was fine until we reached the hill leading up to Aizawl. The traffic busied and the whacky races started. The condition of the road was like channels dug into the ground with hundreds of scooters all around.

We stopped halfway up for a drink and to regroup for the last bit to the hotel. We stood and watched the traffic, amazed that no collisions happened but how at close they nearly came to it. As usual we attracted a bit of a crowd but one driver was so interested he just stopped his truck on the road and got out to come and talk to us and see the bikes. He spoke pretty good English and the fact that his truck was now causing a major traffic jam didn’t seem to faze him at all.

DAY 10: REST DAY IN AIZAWL

(Mizoram)

Touristy stuff and eating out today but not before we all had to report in person to the main police station to have our documents cleared. Alex organised the taxis and we all went together. 2 hours later we left the police station with an authorised stamp and had not seen an official in person.

A bit of lunch and a wander about the town plus lots of pictures was the order of the day. As it got dark, the one thing we hadn’t seen for the previous 9 days arrived with gusto overnight, I’ve experienced rain in Equitorial Guinea and this was very similar. Our thoughts went to the state of the roads we had just ridden on to get here and what they would be like after this. We would soon find out.

DAY 11: AIZAWL-DHARMANAGAR

205km (Tripura)

Another long leg today but at least the rain had stopped and the sun had come out to dry the roads in town. We went back down the hill to find torrents of water running down the channels we had avoided on the way up and then understood how the channels were formed in the first place. Once we were out of the city the roads were not too bad and we managed to make good time. However, the rain was still hanging about and the waterproofs were dug out as the sky ahead and fork lightning suggested we were about to get wet.

We came to a bit of a traffic jam and filtered through to the front to find a steep hill in front of us with numerous vehicles attempting to climb it. They were failing miserably in the thick mud and this included 4×4’s. Alex gathered us together and told us it was about a half mile to the top, and we had to get up it in order to continue.

Alex set off first with Vidhya on the back and went past the 4×4’s that were finding it hard going. Soon, he was a good way up and out of sight. We set off and hit the hill. The Himalayan pulled all the way up to the top and hardly lost traction at all. However, at one point I thought the bike was sinking into the mud. But I was still moving forward.

DAY 12: DHARMANAGAR-SILCHAR

125km (Assam)

This morning, when we assembled to load up the bikes, we came to 14 spotless machines. All the mud from the day before had been cleaned off by the support crew. They’re on top of everything and really earn their money.

We were becoming old sweats with riding in India. We now understood the hierarchy of the traffic and knew when we could push our presence and when we had to yield. This held good for me and the previous nervousness I felt had eased, but not disappeared, which was a good thing. We could see the adventure coming to a close and were not too happy about it. With an adventure like this and the way it had been organised, we just wanted to keep it going. The road to Silchar was one of the newly laid tarmac sections. The three abreast overtaking manoeuvres were back but we were ready for them this time.

DAY 13: SILCHAR-SHILLONG

216km (Meghalaya)

More good roads on this route with a steady climb up to the city at 1500 metres. As we were climbing, we could feel the temperature start to drop for the first time. So much so that I had to dig out my jacket at one of our Chai stops. We sheltered inside as the temperature dropped dramatically. We finished our Chai and got back on the bikes with a couple of hours riding left until our overnight stop. The sun came back out but the temperature still stayed low. While coming through one of the small villages, we actually saw snow building up by the side of the road.

Shillong is a busy Hill Station and probably the busiest we had encountered so far. Finding the hotel was a bit of a job as the traffic was that heavy and the sight of a helmet was all that was visible. A quick regroup at the side of the road and we were back on course again. We were heading for the Blueberry Inn. Our penultimate overnight stop and ultimate luxury after our previous overnighters. Everyone was feeling the same way about the trip coming to an end but we were having such a laugh. Lots of beers and great food. Alex suggested to have a whip round for the support team as a bonus for their great work. We had no problem with that as we couldn’t take Indian rupees home anyway.

DAY 14: SHILLONG-TEPESIA (FINISH)

100km (Assam)

Every good thing comes to an end and this was our last day of riding and also the last day of sunshine as it was overcast all the way. We were heading back to the start point at Brahmaputra Jungle Resort and the many goodbye’s to our fellow riders. When we finally got off our bikes at the resort, it was a really emotional event with many of us unable to say very much. Alex cracked open his special Single Malt to share. Alex, his team, and the resort, laid on a great meal that night and lots of beer was consumed.

Day 15: Depart

My taxi was booked for 06.00 the next morning to get me to the airport and onward via Delhi, Dubai, and finally Glasgow. I still look at the photographs I took of the journey and the memories will be with me forever. It was brilliant.

Steve and I went to the classic TT and over a few pint’s hatched a plan to revisit Alex and his crew for another adventure. So come August 2019 we’ll be riding ‘The Roof Of India’ in the Indian Himalayas astride the Royal Enfield Himalayan again.

If any of you are looking for a bucket list ride, a once in a lifetime motorcycle adventure, then a trip with Nomadic Knights should be first on your list.

Believe me when I tell you that you won’t regret it.

The End